In this picture from the summer, you can see my neat rows of strawberry plants, lavender bushes and beautiful artichokes from above. There’s also out-of-control strawberries and mint growing in an area that has an erosion problem. Pictured below is how the garden looks now in early December.

Last week I pulled the mint way back, and yesterday I dug up the strawberries and filled in my strawberry path with most of them (pictured below.)

Now, the plan is to create a raised bed so that all my dirt won’t run off when it rains. First I’m going to dig down a little and make sure I haven’t left any mint roots in the ground, or the mint will just take over my bed.

The next step will be for my husband to cut the wood for the frame. Then I”ll ask my boys to nail the pieces together and fill the area with a mixture of leaf compost and chicken waste. That’s the plan.